Chapter 344: Prey Located

----

"D-do you think Apollo is aware of the same thing?" Nadida asked with a worrisome expression. After witnessing the carnage Apollo was capable of committing, she possessed an innate fear for the atrocities he may commit. Even the slightest inconvenience could turn into a bloodbath in her eyes.

"It's a possibility, he's always been astute. But, his energy sensitivity is another conversation. I'm not exactly aware of how strong it is. To find that out, we'll have to conduct some times that are close to impossible right now," Odessa answered truthfully after pondering for a short while.

Unfortunately, Nadida's frown deepened, "Just give me your instinctual answer. Yes or no, do you think Apollo is aware of the situation behind these doors?"

"Ah, yes...I do," Odessa confessed. Truth be told, there were few things she felt Apollo couldn't do. As a result, she had already reached the mental state of repressing any shock she felt towards his actions. Of course, despite her intentions, it was still hard to stomach cold-blooded murder.

"Then that's his intentions...I don't think the treasures hold any value to him. Based on his reaction, I'm almost positive he is only here for revenge. You saw it, right? The way his expression changed when the headmaster revealed all of the academies will be inside a shared space," Nadida asked with a deep sigh.

"I saw, but what can we do? You know his energy is strange. It eats away at my energy, almost as if it's the bane of my element, and it seems to consume regular energy. How do we combat that?" Odessa rebutted, a frown appearing on her face as well.

If someone with her camp was known as a murder, even if they were the most talented person on the battlefield, it would tarnish the overall reputation of the legion. At that point, Odessa would have to reevaluate the gains and losses. Did Apollo's help warrant the deterioration of her reputation?

Silently, Odessa began ruminating over this thought. In the meantime, Nadida nodded along. Everything Odessa said was true, after all, she had witnessed Apollo's anger firsthand, nearly injured in the process. Thankfully, it didn't escalate to that level.

'Once he's intent on revenge, who can stop him? Perhaps it's only possible for those outlandishly strong beings. As for his peers, that's an impossible feat. Also, that Spirit of his, its actions are even more horrendous than Apollo's. Could that be where his malevolent attitude originated from?' Nadida wondered.

For now, all of her wonders were just speculation. Even though she was curious and usually confrontational, by no means would she ever confront Valak, the "Spirit" she was so curious about. His actions had left a huge impression on her, rivaling a mental scar.

Nevertheless, these two couldn't idle forever. After all, there was a purpose to being here. For now, they needed to locate the doors and find adequate  "treasures" to bring back and officially gain access to their second year.

"Come, follow me. Don't dwell on this matter too much. What's out of our hands is not our worries. Instead, let's focus on what we can change," Odessa said, tapping Nadida's cheek.

"Ah, yes. Come, let's go," Nadida agreed, trying to escape her rut as soon as possible.

Not long after, they ignored the first level of pagoda door, skipping directly to the second. However, it wasn't possible to repeat the process to enter the third. Unlike the first floor, the second floor held a challenge. 

"This is terrible. No wonder the Headmaster warned us of the abyssal passing rate. They're pinning us against each other!

On each floor, there was a set amount of gateways to ascend to the next floor and to bypass it required the exact number of participants. If the number of present participants before the door surpassed the inscribed number, then it was locked until the numbers matched.

There were two ways to deal with them. Either expel them from the platform or kill them. Secondly, it was through the inscription keys. On the door, there were special colors—bronze, silver, and gold. As the colors changed, the number of inscription holes lessened.

However, a commotion appeared on the other side of the pagoda. With 4 stairways divided into cardinal directions, there were only 4 paths to ascend the pagoda. Yet, on the southern pathway, numerous were seen flying through the air.

If one looked closely, they'd see someone calmly ascending the stairway while simultaneously waving his arms. After starting on this stairway, Apollo quickly became aware of the intricacies of the inscription slots.

'It's not based on the number of bodies, it based on the number of inscriptions in the vicinity. In other words, as long as your plunder the keys from the others, you don't need to worry about it. Very well. Everyone, appear!'

Instantly, Fuhrer, Valak, Jorgun, and Zarkath appeared. Almost instantly, the surrounding area was engulfed in horrifying energy. "Follow me," Apollo ordered.

The sight of 1 grand figure alongside 3 human-looking figures following behind Apollo appalled everyone on the pathway. Some of them even jumped off of their own accord. However, those who jumped weren't spared. Fuhrer extended his arms, using telekinetic forces to draw them back to his grasp.

"Your inscription key, give it," Fuhrer commanded, extending his palm before the trembling individual in his grasp. 

"I-I'll give it t you! Just please don't kill me!" In an instant, a silver inscription key appeared in Fuhrer's palm, the trembling figure's eyes pleading for leniency. 

"Not malicious, don't waste your time," Apollo said.

"Noted," Fuhrer nodded, tossing aside the individual. Moments later, a loud crash was heard as their body smashed into the ground. A pained groan was heard from within the tiny crater, but Apollo didn't pay this any mind, his ascent continuing unimpeded. 

Soon, Apollo came to the entrance of the third floor, but after turning to Fuhrer, he frowned. 

"Not here either, all of the items located here are sub-par as well. It wouldn't gain the attention of your enemies. They must be within to parties up above," Fuhrer responded. Apollo looked above, witnessing more than half of the people dashing above.

"Can you do it?" Apollo questioned, glancing towards Fuhrer at his side.

"If you would like me too, but I suppose it'll draw too much attention to us," Fuhrer answered, sparing the idea in question some thought.

"It doesn't matter. I'm only here for revenge and to acquire the bare necessities," Apollo responded.

"Bare necessities? I fear that is impossible. I sense that you hold a fleeting fate with this area. You must travel to the end if you wish to reclaim that fate. If you don't you'll be forever incomplete," Furcas interjected, arousing Apollo's intrigue.

"Really now? Perhaps I just might venture to the end to witness this destiny you speak of. In the meantime, Fuhrer, just go ahead with it," Apollo said, permitting Fuhrer to act upon their discussed actions.

Fuhrer turned towards the vacant space in the middle of the four spiraling staircases. After cracking his neck, he walked forward, stepping on air after leaving the platform of the steps. Suddenly, he drew Brynhildr from his waist and gazed above.

'Hmm, not very hard to deal with, but it seems it'll take a short while to locate,' Fuhrer internalized. Quietly, his eyes jumped back and forth scrutinizing the area above him. Naturally, his actions earned quite a few murmurs and looks of awe. However, there were also those who couldn't understand how this was possible.

"No way, isn't it impossible for a Spirit to fly until after it has broken well into the Heroic Realm? Then how the hell is that thing levitating like that? Could that spirit already be a Heroic One? No...that's impossible," A voice shouted with a quavering voice.

The comment caused numerous youths to look upon Fuhrer's position, even those up above. The first thing that caught their eyes wasn't his actions, but his armor. The majestic black decor and the glowing markings gave off an air of indomitable strength.

"Wait a minute, doesn't that match the description of...Wait, we need to move...NOW!" Claire exclaimed. Although most of the inter-academy information was sealed to the higher-ups, some of it leaked. One of those such things was the Spirit of Apollo, in other words, Fuhrer.

With him appearing now, that only meant one thing—Apollo was seeking them out. Not to mention, Fuhrer seemed to be gazing in their general direction, however, not them exactly.

'Lord, I believe I have found a couple of individuals who match the description of malice-soaked memories. I am moving to shatter the restrictions now.'

Underneath Fuhrer, Apollo was seen nodding. However, he didn't seem all that ecstatic about Fuhrer's words. In fact, seldom did happiness appear upon his face. For some odd reason, Apollo rarely felt the presence of his happiness.

All of a sudden, Fuhrer brandished Brynhildr, three superimposed strikes landing on a thin barrier above. However, instead of shattering, the barrier appeared malleable, stretching along with the presence of the sword strikes.

"Hoh? Interesting," Fuhrer muttered with a playful gleam in his eyes. "You will shatter." A razor-sharp dark energy then encased Brynhildr.